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I am retiring from tech to live offline

openpath.quest

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Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#451

Post by vostrocity »

whodidntante wrote: post #434
siren2026 wrote: post #237

I have been at it for 20 years now and have started to feel my time is up as well As a lot of comments here highlights, the issue is not so much the tech but the politics, constant perf reviews, re-orgs, nonsense BS that is pushed top-down. This industry is taking a toll on you. My advice for anyone reading this that is starting your career: Live simply and save a lot. When I started my career I thought I would love…

Very good advice. I was at it for 40 years, actually did some MUMPS (for those of you who watched The Audacity), as well as every tech from the old days, even some hardware, and kept current and on the very edge up until the end. I also loved it and thought I would do it forever, I felt so grateful that my hobby and passion as also my career, and very well paying (eventually, back then no one thought it would be a ca…

I'm not sure it's human nature as much as it is a system that compresses everything into finance.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#452

Post by adamddev1 »

kamaitachi wrote: post #387
adamddev1 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honest question: if you didn't enjoy using AI, why not just write code without using AI?

It was being pushed hard by mgmt. Constant pushing, emails with “league tables” of most active users, “why is this taking so long?”. Hard to not use it

That's so sad. Presumably they won't also be asking, "why is this breaking so often?"

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#454

Post by daniel3303 »

kamaitachi wrote: post #7

I just retired after 40 years writing code. The last year or so wasn’t fun - battling with AI, trying to get it do what I wanted. For a long time, I thought I’d do a lot of hobby or open source coding when I retired. I haven’t even tried. I’m not burned out, but find I’ve lost the passion for coding I once had. Is that AI? Or is it me? Maybe as my retirement progresses, I can rekindle that passion, but as of now, I d…

[flagged]

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#455

Post by [deleted] »

deadbabe wrote: post #419
GloriousKoji wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The mental gymnastics I've seen kids enable is Olympic level. Need to upgrade to a bigger house, need to upgrade the car to a SUV, need keep traveling 2-3 times a year, need to sign up for some crazy sports league and coach which means domestic flights and hotels every other week.

Friend had a baby. She went out and bought a massive Cadillac Escalade. To haul around a 10 pound infant.

[deleted]

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#456

Post by lazyasciiart »

nunez wrote: post #426
siren2026 wrote: post #237

I have been at it for 20 years now and have started to feel my time is up as well As a lot of comments here highlights, the issue is not so much the tech but the politics, constant perf reviews, re-orgs, nonsense BS that is pushed top-down. This industry is taking a toll on you. My advice for anyone reading this that is starting your career: Live simply and save a lot. When I started my career I thought I would love…

Some people need to touch fire to know the feeling of getting burned. I was one of those people. Excellent tech income; zero savings other than a 401(k) I barely contributed into. After an amazing meal at a burger place several years ago, I asked my wife about upgrading to a Model S. She figuratively sat me down (after we literally sat into the seats of our Model 3) and was more straight-forward with me than she had…

You've had to drain your savings twice since 2023?

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#457

Post by lazyasciiart »

deadbabe wrote: post #419
GloriousKoji wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The mental gymnastics I've seen kids enable is Olympic level. Need to upgrade to a bigger house, need to upgrade the car to a SUV, need keep traveling 2-3 times a year, need to sign up for some crazy sports league and coach which means domestic flights and hotels every other week.

Friend had a baby. She went out and bought a massive Cadillac Escalade. To haul around a 10 pound infant.

American trucks are an arms race. You need one to protect the occupants from the other trucks on the road, unless someone legislates to stop all of you from driving them.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#458

Post by vostrocity »

cheeze wrote: post #433
xantronix wrote: post #418

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really see the problem of proliferating a message one finds sufficiently important to as many places as one has reach.

It's a bit performative to say "x is my last day" when there is a ton of evidence to the contrary. I agree with you, it's more that... it is performative in itself.

If you are somewhat of a public figure and working in a leadership role at a company, I think it's more sensible to put out a widely-seen public announcement about where you are going next, than to just disappear.

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#459

Post by amanaplanacanal »

amanaplanacanal wrote: post #167
eej71 wrote: post #39

I am clearly in the minority in these parts. I find it intellectually alarming (but not surprising) that someone would say something like "[the north sentinelese tribe] are doing the rest of us a favor by preserving a way of life we may need again someday". "way of life" is doing a lot of obscuring here. It took centuries of hard work to leave that behind.

It has been said that hunter gatherers spend a lot less time working and a lot more time just hanging out and socializing than agriculturalists. It would be nice if we could use all of our modern technology to get back to that kind of work/life balance. Not to mention all the time they spent in nature which is impossible now.

Huh. I never thought so many people would be against work/life balance and spending time in nature

Re: I am retiring from tech to live offline

#460

Post by DamonHD »

sillysaurusx wrote: post #448
throwfaraway4 wrote: post #309

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've worked in food service, landscaping and factory jobs. You're right, the tech job does feel super cushy after gigs like that. But I'm about 25 years in on the tech industry now and I feel the same GP. At some point, you can't avoid the politics and corp BS and it wears you down. Everything is relative. Now that I have the means to say "I don't have to or want to do this anymore" I'll be checking out after this ye…

Do you have a plan other than “wait for the money to evaporate”?

Wait for the money to evaporate ... more slowly than your remaining lifespan (and dying happy in your own bed for example) is one definition of winning.
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